State Senator Russell Pearce claimed this week he has
proof that the controversial illegal immigration legislation is doing
its job in Arizona.

Pearce, who authored SB 1070, points to a rise in U-Haul rentals as
evidence that Arizona's tough immigration law is forcing illegal
immigrants to leave the state. But does Pearce's claim hold true?

... Now that SB 1070 is approaching its one year anniversary, Senator
Pearce has claimed that illegal immigrants are leaving Arizona "in
caravans" and that U-Haul is busier than ever with one-way trips leaving
the state. 9 On Your Side called U-Haul to check on Pearce's claim.

However, the truck rental company confirmed to KGUN9 News, since SB
1070 became law, it's helped 0.5% more people move into than out of
Arizona in 2010. These same numbers spiked to double digits, 13.2% to
be exact, during the first three months of 2011. Therefore, according
to U-Haul, its numbers prove Pearce's claim may not be entirely accurate
after all.

“I don’t believe that anyone, including
myself, foresaw the national and international reaction” to April’s
bill, said Glenn Hamer, chief executive of the Arizona Chamber of
Commerce and Industry, who said estimates of lost tourism business
ranged from $15 million to $150 million. “Now we have that experience under our belts. We know these measures can cause economic damage; it’s just a matter of degree.”

The tourism and image-related business losses were only the tip of
the iceberg, though, when it comes to the damage inflicted on the state
by SB1070 and its related anti-immigration measures. As we've explained previously,
simply deporting and/or driving out all the state's undocumented
immigrants would have disastrous economic consequences on a broad basis
for the state -- some of which are already being felt.

The economic analysis in this report shows the S.B. 1070
approach would have devastating economic consequences if its goals were
accomplished. When undocumented workers are taken out of the economy,
the jobs they support through their labor, consumption, and tax payments
disappear as well. Particularly during a time of profound economic
uncertainty, the type of economic dislocation envisioned by S.B.
1070-type policies runs directly counter to the interests of our nation
as we continue to struggle to distance ourselves from the ravages of the
Great Recession.

Conversely, our analysis shows that legalizing undocumented
immigrants in Arizona would yield a significant positive economic
impact. Based on the historical results of the last legalization program
under the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986, our analysis
shows a similar program would increase wages not only for immigrants but
also for their native-born co-workers. This would generate more tax
revenue and more consumer and business spending, supporting additional
jobs throughout the economy.

Public debate over the wisdom of laws such as S.B. 1070 is heated but
generally lacking in substance. The proponents of S.B. 1070 and related
legislation now under debate in other cities and states claim to be
acting in the best economic interests of native-born Americans, but as
this report demonstrates, their claim is wholly unsubstantiated.

Sara Robinson has worked as an editor or columnist for several national magazines, on beats as varied as sports, travel, and the Olympics; and has contributed to over 80 computer games for EA, Lucasfilm, Disney, and many other companies. A native of California's High Sierra, she spent 20 years in Silicon Valley before moving to Vancouver, BC in 2004. She currently is pursuing an MS in Futures Studies at the University of Houston. You can reach her at srobinson@enginesofmischief.com.